Container-storing apparatus for container ship



y 1969 MASANAO OSHIMA 3,452,699

CONTAINER-STORING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINER SHIP Sheet Filed Aug. 31, 1967 INVENTORZ MASANAQ OSHIMA .BY W2- HAITYSL y 1969 MASANAO OSHIMA 3,452,699

CONTAINER-STORING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINER SHIP Filed Aug. 51, 1967 Sheet of 2' mvsmore: MASANAO 05 H l MA BY W4 United States Patent 3,452,699 CONTAINER-STORING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINER SHIP Masauao Oshima, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Mitsui Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan,

a corporation of Japan Filed Aug. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 664,790 Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 5, 1966, 41/ 58,590 Int. Cl. B65b 25/00 U.S. Cl. 11472 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container ship having an elongated container hold adapted to be divided into a plurality of container cells by transverse beam-and-container-guide assemblies. The assemblies are supported at predetermined spaced locations in the hold by sockets mounted on the longitudinal structures on either side of the hold and are releasably held in the sockets by bolts. Additional support means for the assemblies are provided adjacent one end of the hold so that the assemblies may be removed from the sockets and shifted to one end of the hold and secured thereat to thereby clear the hold for the storage of long or bulky freight which cannot fit in containers.

The present invention relates to a freight container storing apparatus for container ship.

In the conventional container ship, container guides are vertically provided in the container hold near or at the four corners of every container to be stored. The containers are loaded and stacked in superposed relation in the each container cell constructed by the four container guides. In this kind of container hold, freight such as long steel products, which is too large to be contained in the container can not be stored in the container hold, because transverse beams provided over the container hold and the container guides fixed thereon obstruct the insertion of the freight into the container hold.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a container storing apparatus in which beams and container guides are provided to be removable to one side in the container hold so that a large space to store the long or bulky freight is formed in the hold.

In accordance with the present invention, the apparatus is characterized by that the container guides are secured on horizontal transverse beams, the opposite ends of the horizontal transverse beams are fixed to opposite longitudinal bulkheads, or to the longitudinal bulkhead and a centerline girder respectively, in such a manner as to permit removal of the horizontal transverse beams from the longitudinal bulkheads or centerline girder together with the container guides.

Still further objects of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description.

Referring now to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a part of a container ship providing a container storing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a part of an upper horizontal transverse beam;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view taken on line 55 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an upper horizontal transverse beam;

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a supporting portion of a middle horizontal transverse beam;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the supporting portion illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 in FIG. 10, illustrating a lower end portion of a container guide;

FIG. 10 is a sectional View taken on line 10-10 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged side elevational view taken on line 11-11 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. 11.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3 thereof, reference numeral 20 designates generally a container ship body and 21 designates a longitudinal bulkhead structure forming a container hold. Between the longitudinal bulkhead 21 and another side longitudinal bulkhead (not shown), transverse deck structures 22 are provided leaving a suitable space, and beneath the transverse decks 22, transverse beams 23 are provided. Between the longitudinal bulkhead 21 and an upper centerline longitudinal girder structure 24, upper horizontal transverse beams 25 are fixedly provided at intervals of proper length according to a longituidnal length of a container 56 to be stored, as more fully set forth hereinafter.

To the inner side of the upper portion of the longitudinal bulkhead 21 are welded two container entry guide blocks 26, and beneath the each guide block 26, beam supporting racks 27 are secured to the longitudinal bulkhead 21. On the opposite side of the hold, beam supporting member 28 is secured to the centerline girder 24 as more clearly shown in FIG. 6, and on opposite sides of the beam supporting member 28, container entry blocks 30 are fixed respectively. As shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8, racks 32 for supporting middle horizontal transverse beams 31 are fixed to the longitudinal bulkhead 21 at lower portion beneath the beam supporting racks 27, and also beneath the beam supporting member 28, beam supporting racks 33 constructed the same as the rack 32 are secured to the centerline girders 24. The racks 32 and 33 are provided with beam holding plates 53, 54 and 55 to form sockets retaining said beams against downward and horizontal displacement.

The guide blocks 26 and 30 have upwardly flared inclined portions 34 for guiding the container 56 into the container hold. On the under side of the guide blocks 26 and 30 are vertically secured container guides 35 which are formed of angle-iron and positioned in coincident relation with the lower end angle of the guide block 26. The lower ends of the container guides 35 terminate in a doubling plate 37 bearing on an inner bottom plate 36 and are secured to the doubling plate 37. The middle portions of the container guides 35 are fixed to the opposite sides of the beam supporting racks 32 and 33.

Container entry guide blocks 38 serving to guide the container in the same manner as the guide block 26 are secured to the opposite sides of the each upper horizontal transverse beam 25, and container guides 40 and 41 are secured to the under side of the each guide block 38. The lower ends of the container guides 40 and 41 are rested on a doubling plate 50 and maintained in angle portions 52 of a receiving member 51 which is secured on the doubling plate 50, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The middle portions of the container guides 40 and 41 are fixed to the middle transverse beams 31 to form a beamand-container-guide assembly.

The upper horizontal transverse beam 25 is provided with projecting plates 44 and 45 at end portions 42 and 43. The transverse beam 25 is supported by the supporting beam supporting member 28. The rack 27'and the depression 46 form a socket supporting the end 42 against downward and horizontal displacement, and the tack 2-8 and depression 47 form a similar socket'for the end 43. To prevent upward displacement, the portions of the projecting plates 44 and 45 are respectively secured by bolts 49 (see FIG. The middle horizontal transverse beams 31 are restricted against downward and horizontal movement at the opposite ends by the sockets formed by the holding plates 53, 54 and 55 of the racks 32 and 33 without using any fixing instrument.

Thus, the each beam and container guide forming a container cell is secured in the container hold. The containers 56 are inserted and lowered into the-container cell along the guide blocks 26, 30 and 38 and container guides 35, 40 and 41, and stacked in superposed relation.

In loading such freight as can not be contained in the container, each transverse beam-and-container-guide assembly is bodily moved aside. That is, the each bolt 49 on the guide blocks 26 and 28 are removed, and the upper transverse beam 25 is lifted by a container handling crane together with the container guides 40 and 41' and middle transverse beams 31 to disengage the beams 25 and 31 from their sockets. Then, this beam-and-container guide assembly is then shifted to the left side of the container hold in FIG. 1 as indicated at 25a.

There are provided beam supporting racks 57 at the left side of the container hold, and the shifted beam and container guide assembly being arranged side by side in parallel relation as shown by broken lines 25a and are secured to the racks 57 by means of bolts 58. Thus, there is formed a large space in the hold, as a result, any freight may be stored in the space.

I claim:

1. In a container ship having a hold defined between a pair of transverse structures and a pair of longitudinal 4 structures, a beam-and-container-guide assembly spanning between said longitudinal structures and comprising a plurality of horizontal beams disposed in vertical alignment and vertical container guides fixedly mounted on and interconnecting said beams, releasable support means mounted centrally of said hold on said longitudinal structures operable to support the ends of said beams against horizontal displacement to dispose said assembly parallel to said-transverse structures in predetermined spaced relation thereto toprovide .vertical cells of predetermined length for storing containers, and additional releasable support means mounted at one end of said hold on said longitudinal structures and operable to support the ends of said beams to dispose said assembly alongside the transverse structure at said end.

2. A container ship according to claim 1 wherein said central support means comprise sockets mounting said beams against downward and horizontal displacement, said assembly being disengaged therefrom by upward displacement.

3. A container ship according to claim 2 wherein sai central support means includes a bolt to secure said assembly against upward displacement.

4. A container ship according to claim 3 wherein said additional support means comprise supporting racks engageable with the ends of said beams, and bolts for securing said assembly to said racks.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner. 

